Yes, you read that right, a piece of cake from Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding in 1981 sold for over $ 2,500.
Auctioneer Dominic Winter’s website originally expected the slice of cake to sell for between $ 277 and $ 416, but a UK local paid over $ 2,500 for the cake this week.
The listing said the cake had icing and a marzipan base. The royal wedding had 23 wedding cakes created and that piece was probably either on the side of the cake or on the top of the one-tier cake.
The slice of the cake belonged to a worker of the Queen Mother, Moyra Smith. The auctioneer’s website says he believes the Royal Family sent the cake for staff to enjoy at Clarence House. Her family then sold her to auctioneers in 2008.
The slice of cake features the royal coat of arms as well as a silver horseshoe and leaf spray. It weighs approximately 1.8 lbs.
Smith managed to preserve the 40-year-old cake by putting it on a card and foil with cling film covering the top. She then stored it in a cake tin.
“It appears to be in exactly the same good condition as when it was originally sold, but we do not recommend eating it, and the royal letter and commemorative beer bottle that came with the lot are not present,” says the auction list.
The lucky bidder also donated other historic royal items. The buyer received a program of the couple’s ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral as well as a program of their last breakfast at Buckingham Palace.
The winning bidder was bought by Gerry Layton, who is a private collector from Leeds. He considered himself to have “always been a monarchist,” according to the Yorkshire Evening Post by CNBC. He said his estate and historic items will be left to charity.
Surprisingly, another piece of royal cake was auctioned off for a high price. In 2017, a slice of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s eight-tier fruit cake was valued at between $ 1,000 and $ 1,550.
